A FRESH wave of reviews has been released for Netflix's Outlaw King, starring Chris Pine.
James Mottram, reviewing the film for the Herald as it found its way to Scotland, said it “could have changed the outcome of the independence referendum” had it been released in 2014.
The Netflix production stars Pine as Robert the Bruce, who seeks to reclaim the Scottish throne in the early 14th century as its people suffer at the hands of Edward I .
Critics this side of the Atlantic now have their hands on it, and Scottish director David Mackenzie has made some changes.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival around six weeks ago, with the mixed reviews often critical of its 137-minute runtime.
Feeling the mood of the audience, Mackenzie returned to the editing room, trimming 20 minutes off that total.
This is the version which had its European premiere in London earlier this week, and which journalists here have been looking over.
The latest reviews are far from unanimously glowing – but they highlight plenty of positives.
The Herald's review praises the portrayal of Robert’s humanity, saying that could have helped swing the country towards a Yes vote in 2014.
Mottram contends that the battles scenes are “evocatively shot”, describing it as “big-scale filmmaking, beautifully rendered”.
Over at the Scotsman they were slightly less impressed, with Alistair Harkness giving the blockbuster three stars out of five.
He says that while “it might sound like an ersatz Braveheart, it’s actually a far stranger film than its Netflix-backed blockbuster pedigree suggests”.
Pine’s accent is “fine”, he suggests, but that in cutting away at the “simplistic myths” of Bruce, the film doesn’t feel emotive or romantic – “the antithesis of Braveheart”.
Mackenzie strives for historical accuracy in a way Mel Gibson didn’t, and while that may hurt on the screen, it does mean important lessons on Scotland’s history being broadcast to a global audience.
Writing for Screenrant, Molly Freeman decides on a rating of 2.5 stars – but it isn’t all bad.
She has high praise for Florence Pugh as Elizabeth, wife to Bruce. “Pine and Pugh are quietly the most endearing aspect of the movie,” she says, also praising the supporting cast.
The script doesn’t come off so well. “There is a sense that there were too many cooks in the kitchen ... it comes across as a hodge-podge of ideas that all make it into the movie.”
The audience reaction could be very different. Netflix original films such as Bright have been viciously panned by reviewers, but attracted huge viewing figures – no bad thing for growing global interest in Scotland.
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